Charles C. Haynes: Anti-gay bullying: Does silence = death?

  Culture wars are returning to school this fall as conflicts over what to say — or not to say — about homosexuality escalate across the country.

  After a spate of high-profile news stories about gay teen suicides (nationwide, six in September alone), school officials are caught in the crossfire in the fight over how to address the anti-gay bullying that has been implicated in some of the deaths.

  Gay-rights advocates insist that anti-bullying policies must include positive treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people. Christian conservatives support anti-bullying efforts in general, but demand that public schools keep silent about sexual orientation.